psych RN starting a new med-surg job soon, excited!

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Hi everyone,

I'm starting a new med-surg job next month, and I am SO excited! I'm also very nervous with everything I hear about nurses hating their job because they are so busy. Does anyone have any advice for a new med-surg nurse? I have been working as a psych RN at a hospital for the past 2 years after getting my MSN... so I sort of remember some med-surg skills from nursing school, but I am confident that I'm a fast learner.

I guess the main thing I'm concerned about is not having enough time for everything that needs to be done, and missing the aspect of having 1:1 time to talk with patients.

Any advice or words of wisdom would be much appreciated, I admire all you med-surg nurses so much!

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All i can say is good luck! I am on week 7 of a new grad program on a medical floor and I absolutley hate it so far. There is not time to get to know your pts at all beyond the critical information. It is so busy I am literally almost running from room to room. Just staying on top of medications is hard. I wouldn't have left a psych job if you liked it but everyone is different. I have a friend who works psych and the one main complaint she has is that it is 8 hour shifts. She wants to work only 3 days a week but honestly I am so drained after working my days "off" i am exhausted and don't even wanna do anything the first day. Once I finally feel rested I get anxiety about the next work day. Sorry I shouldn't be the one to give advice because so far I hate bedside nursing :(

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Specializes in MedSurg, ICU.

The person above me has taken the extreme approach. You run your butt off like there's no tomorrow. I work on a more surgical floor but we get medical overflow. We get 5-7 pts with no aids overnight. You will rely heavily on teamwork or you will sink! A lot of times I feel like I can't get anything done without being interrupted and I never feel as though I do anything worthy bc I'm forced to do the bare minimum. The nights either are horrendous or a huge joke. You will learn to time manage or you will not last. I've worked as a surgical nurse for about three years and am getting burnt out! It's a great area to learn but most people cant tolerate it too long! It's a very rewarding floor when your patients give you compliments because you know how busy you are - but they think you've done miraculous things for them! Good luck and keep us updated!

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thanks for the replies.

SanDiegoRN86- yikes!! Are things getting better for you? What do you think you're gonna do? Hopefully you're getting support from co-workers/friends/this website.

benmca13- thanks for your input. I start the new job in the middle of January, so I have been thinking non-stop about how my life is going to change! and how busy I will be at work.. much different kind of busy than in psych. looking forward to starting and thanks for the realistic challenges and advice =)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab.

I just started a new med surg job last month. I like it so far but I feel like a new grad all over again. Go in with minimal expectations of how you will perform. Don't expect that you'll hit the ground running just because you have 2 years experience and are a fast learner. I thought the same things of myself when I started and it was a harsh reality when I struggled so much. It's a huge transition but so far everyone on my floor has been really supportive so I'm getting there (slowly). They say it takes 6 months to a year to be comfortable in a new job.

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